WTA Tour Mandates Equal Prize Money at All WTA 1000 Events for 2027
Women’s tennis will award equal prize money at all joint WTA 1000 and ATP Masters 1000 events starting next year, fulfilling a pledge originally made in 2023. The Italian Open, Cincinnati Open, and Canadian Open will join Indian Wells, Miami, and the China Open in offering identical financial compensation to male and female competitors.
The Bottom Line on the 2027 WTA Schedule Overhaul
- Financial Parity: The Italian Open, Cincinnati Open, and Canadian Open will offer equal prize money next season, closing the gap at all combined WTA 1000 tournaments.
- Schedule Relief: Top-50 players will see their mandatory WTA 500 commitments drop from six events down to four annually.
- Tour Logistics: The WTA Finals moves to Charlotte, North Carolina, on a three-year deal following the early end of its arrangement in Riyadh.
Closing the Financial Gap at the Foro Italico and Beyond
Nearly six decades after Billie Jean King famously earned $600 for winning the 1970 Italian Open while men’s champion Ilie Nastase took home $3,500, the historic clay-court tournament in Rome is reaching full financial parity. The Italian Open was one of the last combined events not awarding equal prize money. The total men’s prize money in Rome this year was $9.6 million, whereas the women’s purse was $8.3 million. That discrepancy ends in 2027 as the tour enforces its milestone.
Alongside Rome, the Cincinnati Open and the Canadian Open will elevate their women’s purses to match the men’s events. These tournaments sit directly below the four Grand Slams—which have maintained equal prize pools since 2007. WTA Chair Valerie Camillo called the initiative a major milestone that demonstrates the organization’s continued commitment to leading the sports industry in competitive and financial equality.
Player Workload Reductions and Ranking Flexibility
Beyond the financial adjustments, the tour is implementing structural changes to alleviate player burnout. The mandatory commitment for top-50 players will drop from six WTA 500 tournaments down to four per year. This adjustment results in a total base playing commitment of 14 WTA tournaments plus the four Grand Slams for 2027.
“As players, we’re on the road most of the year, so having more flexibility in our schedules and commitments makes a real difference,” said world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, who chaired the Tour Architecture Council that consulted on the calendar updates. Pegula noted that the changes give athletes a better ability to design their seasons around personal and competitive goals. Additionally, players will now be allowed to replace their worst result at a WTA 1000 with a stronger WTA 500 or WTA 250 result when calculating world rankings.
| Tour Level | Previous Requirement / Status | 2027 Update |
|---|---|---|
| WTA 1000 (Combined) | Unequal at Rome, Cincinnati, and Canada | Equal prize money across all combined 1000 events |
| WTA 500 (Top 50 Players) | 6 mandatory events per year | Reduced to 4 mandatory events per year |
| WTA Finals Host | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Moving to Charlotte, N.C. (Three-year deal) |
Calendar Shifts and Corporate Investments
The 2027 schedule also brings geographic expansion, with the Philippines hosting a full WTA Tour event in Manila for the first time. The tournament takes over the license previously held by the event in Chennai, India. Meanwhile, the season-ending WTA Finals is relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina, on a three-year deal.
Financially, the tour continues to evolve through commercial partnerships. In January, the WTA signed a 10-year premier partner deal with Mercedes-Benz valued in the eight-figure range annually. This builds on a 2023 investment from private equity firm CVC Partners, which secured a 20 percent stake in the tour’s commercial arm, WTA Ventures, through a $30 million annual commitment over five years—with 2027 marking the final year of that funding agreement.
